Discover the line-up with Clunk Magazine: Interview with The Flints

The Manchester-born but now London-based duo came flying out the gate in 2023 with the announcement of their sophomore EP ‘Keep The Party Going’ and recent single ‘Different Drum’. The song encapsulated everything that was alluring about the indie-psychedelic duo – clashing synths, ethereal vocals, and a retrospective yet fresh sound.  

The duo are making their debut trip to Boardmasters and Cornwall in 2023 so we were eager to find out more about The Flints.  

Hey George and Henry, how're you? 

Hello! We’re great thanks, currently knee-deep in rehearsals for some upcoming Europe shows.  

So, when did you both start making music together and how did the musical project The Flints come to be?

We’ve been making music together our whole lives. Growing up in Manchester, we’d always be playing shows around the city in various bands – but it always ended up with us being the last two members (which probably meant something!). After uni we moved to London and started writing and producing for other artists, but we always knew that releasing our own music again was our ultimate goal. In 2022 we felt ready to put our music out in the world and, as a result, The Flints were born. 

Have you always known that you two were destined to create music together? 

As twins, we’ve always felt connected creatively and personally. Us making music together has always been an inevitability, whether we realized it or not.  

There's a clear 70's infused sound throughout your music. Are there any artists that inspired this sound? 

We’re definitely inspired by a lot of artists/bands from the 60’s/70’s: Jeff Lynne, The Zombies, The Kinks & Bowie… but we’re also DJs so there’s a wider inspiration from electronic music: Daft Punk, The Chemical Brothers, Justice & Soulwax to name a few.  

Your second EP 'Keep The Party Going' is out on April 28th. What was the inspiration behind this, and can you talk us through the recording process?

The EP was written and recorded at the end of last year. It reflects on the joint changes and realizations that we’ve experienced over the past few years living in London, throughout different locations and relationships. Since we moved here, our lives have taken many joint turns, many of which were independent from each other. These songs are almost a narrative of that; we’re trying to make sense of how our individual experiences are as much shared with each other as they are our own.  

When writing your music do you have a clear message you want to be portrayed or is it more abstract?

With a lot of our music, we usually start with concepts that are quite specific, but by the time it’s finished we find they’ve usually grown outward into something more universal for people to find their own meaning in. For example, ‘Different Drum’ was written about a very specific shared friendship in our own lives, but other people have attributed it to their own romantic relationships. It’s a beautiful thing that music can touch and relate to people in so many ways. It’s one of the privileges of being an artist. 

This is your debut year at Boardmasters. What are you looking forward to most about the festival? 

To be honest we don’t really know what to expect! Hopefully we can catch some sets from the other artists (you’ll probably find us at Warmduscher), and get wild before we have to get back on the road for the next show.  

What can the boardies crew expect from your performance?

Expect some high-energy, instrument-swapping madness. 

Can we expect to see you in the waves post show? 

You sure will.  

Lastly, what are your five festival essentials?

1. Poncho
2. Sunglasses (the poncho-sunglasses combo is unmatched)
3. Flip-Flops (no one wants to go home with trench-foot)
4. Portable Charger (for when you lose everyone at 5am)
5. Crocs 

Catch The Flints playing on The Cove stage on Friday at Boardmasters 2023.